Touch Screen Provides Tactile/Haptic Feedback
iPhone owners have long been complaining about the lack of the tactile or haptic feedback. Meaning the iPhone touch screen is not able to provide response when you hit a key which makes it difficult to type without staring directly at it.

RIM on the other hand uses “Click Through” technology on the the Storm’s touch screen to provide both audible and tactile feedback whenever you click the screen. In fact, the screen on the Storm is really just one large button that actually depresses when you click it.

Expandable Memory
The iPhone 3G is limited to either 8 GB or 16 GB of storage, depending on which model you choose. The BlackBerry Storm ships with just 1GB of on-board memory, but it also has an expandable microSD media card slot that can accommodate cards up to 16GB. So the Strom users could purchase as many microSD cards as they wish and swap them out at will, meaning that the Storm has virtually unlimited storage capacity.

Stereo Bluetooth Capability
One of the vital wireless feature that the iPhone 3G and even T-Mobile G1 lack is the Stereo Bluetooth Capability. With the iPhone, users still can’t listen to their music collections via Bluetooth, wireless headsets–at least without buying a third-party adapter–because the device doesn’t support Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) technology. That means wired headphones are a must when using Apple’s smartphone to listen to music in stereo.

BlackBerry smartphones have supported stereo Bluetooth for quite some time, and the Storm will be no exception. If you have pair of wireless headphones, or you’ve had your eyes on buying a new set, you may want to choose the Storm over the iPhone 3G so you can employ the headphones along with your new handheld.

Removable/Replacable Battery
Almost all other smartphones have removable batteries. The Apple iPhone doesn’t. To this day it causes frustration for some users, especially for frequent travelers and people who constantly listen to music, play games or watch videos or movies. Being able to swap in a spare would be great.

Since the iPhone has a fixed battery that cannot be swapped out, you need to charge regularly or purchase expensive–and awkward–third-party portable charging solutions like the Incase Power Slider Case/Battery Booster costing 100 big ones. The BlackBerry Storm has a removable battery that can be replaced with another when fully drained. Extra BlackBerry batteries sell for as little as $5.

Camera and Video Recording
The 2 megapixels camera of the iPhone 3G is disappointing, but what’s worse is that it won’t record any video. The Storm ups the ante to a 3.2-megapixel camera and also offers video capture. That’s a big plus in favor of the Storm, no doubt.

Wireless Tethered Modem
Many smartphone owners, particularly business users, employ their handhelds’ Internet connections to access the Web via otherwise unconnected PCs or laptop computers. The ability to tether can come in extremely handy while travelling and visiting various hotels, airports, lounges, etc. that charge for Wi-Fi access. In such situations, you can simply connect your smartphone and computer and avoid Wi-Fi fees. AT&T has said that it is working with Apple to bring that functionality to the iPhone. While they haven’t provided an exact date, it is coming.

Copy and Paste
Since day one iPhone users have asked for it and Apple is yet to provide it on the iPhone. This feature might sound a bit trivial for a mobile device but just try transferring a URL or some quote or important text from a Web page to an email message without it, and you’ll soon see why such a simple function can be so important.

With the BlackBerry Storm users will be able to cut and paste text by simply pressing a finger down at the beginning of a selection and then another finger at the end to highlight the text. After you make a selection, the BlackBerry Menu key shows options to copy the text and paste it at a later time.

Mutitasking: Get More Out of Your Day
In the smartphone context, multitasking means running multiple applications in the background while using your device for other purposes. Right now, the iPhone OS does not allow for multitasking, and as such, you can only run one third-party application at a time.

Th BlackBerry Storm on the other hand its 528-MHz processor and the HSPA network combine to support your need to multitask and prioritize without falling behind or out of touch. Designed to provide you with access to your voice and data services at the same time, it helps you get more out of every day.

• Take phone calls while sending and responding to email or browsing the Internet
• Maintain GPS-based directions or maps on your display even while taking a call
• Snap the perfect picture and send it out even when you’re already on the phone
• Discuss and revise Microsoft® Word, Microsoft Excel® and Microsoft PowerPoint files—edit while using the speakerphone

The BlackBerry Storm also comes with multiple Bluetooth profiles support, stereo playback, a 3.26-inch touch sensitive display, that measures 480 x 360 pixels. The phone is also equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, and it includes includes a full QWERTY keyboard-when used in landscape mode-and a SureType keyboard-when held in the portrait orientation. It also has standard GPS and a-GPS, and it will come with BlackBerry Maps.

The BlackBerry Storm also has a 3.5mm headset jac, media player for music and video, full HTML browser, 1GB of on-board memory and supports microSD cards up to 8GB. It comes with other applications too, like E-Mail, Microsoft Docs viewing and editing, and messaging features.

The BlackBerry Storm will be launched in collaboration with Vodafone and it will be available in the U.S., Europe and Australia, starting with November.
The BlackBerry Storm, exclusively from Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, also includes the following features and functions:

• BlackBerry Internet Service, BlackBerry Unite!, BlackBerry Professional Software and BlackBerry Enterprise Server support for seamless integration with corporate email systems and the security and IT policy controls that enterprise customers require
• Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
• 3.2 megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus, and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video; the camera records video in half-VGA resolution (480×320) or at 176×144 for MMS
• 1 GB of on board memory storage and 8 GB microSD memory card included in expandable memory card slot
• Media player that can find content on the handset in an instant, display pictures and slideshows quickly, play movies smoothly in full screen mode in any orientation, and manage an entire music collection; playlists can be created directly on the handset and there’s an equalizer with 11 preset filters – including “Lounge”, “Jazz” and “Hip Hop” for customized audio ranges when using wired headphones or external speakers
• Sleek, elegant design with contoured corners, stainless steel back and chrome side-accents that frame its large (3.26″), touch sensitive, glass lens display; its exceptional 360 x 480 resolution at 184ppi, offering the highest resolution display ever introduced on a BlackBerry smartphone, is crisp and colorful with clarity that’s easy on the eyes
• A sensor automatically adjusts to ambient light for ideal screen viewing and an orientation sensor allows customers to use the handset in a portrait or landscape position
• Additional details related to availability and pricing will be announced in the coming weeks. To learn more, visit www.verizonwireless.com/storm.
• Virtual keyboards are also available in AZERTY, QWERTZ and other configurations to support different language groups.

10)?? Compatibility with iTunes ? It has been cheekily suggested that the Storm mobile will feature BlackBerry media sync, which means you can actually synchronise and swap music with iTunes. This is highly unlikely but anything is possible and it would be a handy feature.

9)??? 4G connectivity ? It?s a given that the BlackBerry Storm will support high speed internet connections and web pages should load in around 3-4 seconds. But it has also been alleged that the new BlackBerry Storm will support 4G connectivity too. Is this a possibility?

8)??? 3.2? Megapixel Camera ? If this is true the Storm 3G would have a further edge over the iPhone which supports a 2 mega pixel camera.

7)? Visual Voicemail ? The BlackBerry Storm will be one of the first non-Apple touch screen mobiles to offer visual voicemail, which shows all your recorded messages on the screen as a list. This conveniently allows the user to scroll up and down choosing which ones to listen to or delete, without having to listen to previous messages or instructions. It?s high up the list because we?re just not sure but the more we think about, it visual voicemail seems like a good bet for Storm 3G given that it?s a fantastic luxury – once you?ve tried it it?s hard to live without it.

6)??? Pixel-tastic – Online reports at various mobile phone sites suggest the BlackBerry Storm will come with a 480?320 pixel wide screen with 65,000 colours. If this is true, it gives it the edge over the iPhone. The rumoured 480?320 pixel count does seem highly likely given that it?s the same picture capability as the BlackBerry Bold.
5)?? October release date – As far as we know the 3G Storm will launch in October. Various dates in October have been rumoured but the simple fact is that no official launch date has been announced as yet. All we know is that further announcements will arrive in September – watch this space.

4)?? QWERTY and SureType Entry ?? The Storm 3G is set to offer choice and flexibility of landscape and portrait screen keyboard, cleverly ensuring it appeals to both business users and everyday consumers alike.

3)?? Haptic Technology – BlackBerry Storm will showcase the latest haptic technology. This means you?ll be able to feel localised feedback in your fingertips when you?re typing texts and emails. Physically, it should give the impression that you?re typing on a real keyboard making typing on your BlackBerry Storm feel a lot more natural and user friendly.

2)? Lightweight Touchscreen ? The Storm 3G is a full screen BlackBerry. It doesn?t have a slide out keyboard and will have only four physical keys. Those will be the send/end phone keys, the BlackBerry menu key and the back key. The touch screen will look about the same size as the iPhone?s display ? around 3.5 inches but the Storm 3G has more eye-catching curves around the sides at the top and bottom.

1)?? Exclusive to Vodafone ?? The new BlackBerry Storm will launch as a worldwide (possibly lifetime) exclusive on Verizon in the U.S and Vodafone in the U.K. Vodafone has invested heavily in its 3G services making it the ideal network provider for the Storm 3G.

The BlackBerry Storm is certain to be one of the best touch screen phones offered by Vodafone. Combining the visually pleasing features of the iPhone with the second to none business capabilities of BlackBerry ? the Storm 3G may just offer the best of both worlds.

The BlackBerry Storm is certain to be one of the best touch screen phones offered by Vodafone. Combining the visually pleasing features of the iPhone with the second to none business capabilities of BlackBerry ? the Storm 3G may just offer the best of both worlds.